Old Forester PlumpJack Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon | 66.8% ABV Warehouse G | Floor 7

For this quarter’s selection, we’re bringing you an historic single barrel pick from America’s oldest bourbon distillery: Old Forester. Old Forester has never before released cask-strength single barrel selections; this quarter, however, we’ve teamed up with the distillery to bring you a unique bottling that clocks in a whopping 66.8% ABV. Far from being your average vanilla-and -oak bourbon, this whiskey features unique floral notes to shepherd us into spring.

History

George Garvin Brown was born in Munfordville, Kentucky on September 2nd 1846. Upon completing his education in Louisville, Brown began working at Henry Chambers & Co – a pharmaceutical company. Brown and his colleagues noticed the lack of reliable, good quality medicinal whiskey which led him to create and blend his own. To insure the quality to consumers, a respected doctor by the name of William Forrester allowed his name to be used on the label. Forrester eventually retired from practicing medicine which made the brand drop one letter ‘r’ from the label and it became the name sake we know today, Old Forester.

Founded in 1870, Old Forester began selling prescription whiskey to doctors and pharmacies. The distillery is actually responsible for a key invention in how you drink your whiskey today: it was the first distillery to market and sell whiskey in bottles, as opposed to barrels. Old Forester played a role in major historical events throughout the 20th century; it survived Prohibition by selling medicinal whiskey, and was a major producer of ethanol during World War II. Today, Old Forester is one of the few major American whiskey distilleries that has a woman, Jackie Zykan, serving as its Master Taster. Zykan, having a chemistry and business background, was instrumental in Old Forester producing and releasing its first ever Rye whiskey in 2019 – one of the best values of rye on the market today.

An important note to acknowledge as Old Forester celebrates its 150th Anniversary, is that it is the only whiskey brand in which the original family still runs and operates the distillery.

Aroma

Hints of stone-fruit, toasted coconut, white flowers, marzipan

Taste

Oily/medium viscosity, toasted coconut, oak spice, dried tea leaves, honey, marzipan, leather